Chain dredge bucket



Aug. 4, 1942. W, H, SfIRES 2,292,249

CHAIN DREDGE BUCKET Filed Sept. 14, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 w. H. sTlREs v CHAIN DREDGE BUCKET Aug. 4, 1942.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 14, 1940 Patente-d Aug. 4, 1942 CHAIN DREDGE BUCKET William H. Stires, High Bridge, N. J., assignor to Taylor-Wharton Iron & Steel Company,

High

Bridge, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 14, 1940, Serial No. 356,833 s claims. (C1. :av-141) My present invention relates to chain dredge bucket and lip assemblies of the rivetless type such as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,984,- 322, granted to me December 1l, 1934.

In such assemblies the lip is swun'g through an arc to or from its seat on the rim of the bucket and is ultimately secured by a socketed arrangement of the inside aprons and by holddown bolts externally of the bucket and cooperating with the outside apron, the rim of the bucket serving as a fulcrum, when the bolts are tightened, so that the lip terminals are lifted and caused to bear against the outer or forward walls of the sockets in order to eliminate lost motion. This is adequate at the outset, but with the wear and tear of service the rim is no longer effective as a fulcrum and, consequently, the lip ends do not respond, as they did at the outset, to the tightening of the bolts and, hence, there is progressively increasing relative movement of the lip and bucket.

The object of this invention is to obviate the disadvantageous conditions stated and this is accomplished by relieving the rim of the bucket of its fulcrum oflice and by fulcrurn provisions independent of the rim seat arranged below the plane thereof and preferably closely adjacent the inner or rearward side walls of the sockets for the purpose and with the result of increasing the effectiveness of the holddown bolts to the end that any tightening thereof will be immediately reflected in the lifting of the lip terminals to a bearing on the forward walls of the sockets and so that the lip at all times will be held rigidly stationary on its seat.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein- Figure 1 is a sectional elevational view of a chain dredge bucket and lip assembly embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a plan partly broken.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

The hood 5 of the bucket is provided externally with a horizontal ledge or shoulder 6 which has apertured lugs 'l to receive the holddown bolts 8; and internally with sockets 9, one on each side of the inner wall of the bucket.

The lip l0 is of the inside-outside type, that is to say, it is afforded a seat on the bucket rim Il, and in the seated position it laps the outside and the inside of the bucket. The outside lapping portion is an apron l2, which has lugs I3 aligned with the `lugs 1 0n the bucket in order to cooperate with the holddown bolts, the shoulder s serving as an abutment to protect the bottom. edge of the apron.

The inside lapping portions of the lip are the aprons I4, one on each side of the bucket, and in the seated position of the lip their terminals l5, respectively, occupy the sockets 9. The latter function to prevent converging movement of the lip ends, when the lip is under digging stress, and also, in conjunction with the holddown bolts, serve to arrest relative movement of the lip and the bucket. However, the socketing of the lip ends is fairly loose because the parts' are not machine finished and because a certain amount of looseness is necessary to enable the lip to be swung to or from its seat. In order to take up the looseness the bolts 8 are tightened and responsive to this action the lip is rocked on its seat so that its ends impinge upon the forward walls i6 of the sockets 9. This is true of the parts at the outset but under the wear and tear of service, there is increased relative movement of the lip and the bucket, the rim seat no longer is effective as a fulcrum, and the holddown bolts no longer are effective to keep the lip rigidly stationary.

According to this invention means is provided whereby the bucket rim is relieved of its fulcrum function and serves simply to seat the lip. Such means may be manifested as offsets l1 on the inner wall of the bucket and in a plane below the rim and making Contact with the inside aprons at a point closely adjacent the socketed ends thereof, that is to say, at a point effective when the holddown bolts are tightened to cause the lip to be rocked on the offsets in the direction indicated by the arrows so that its straddling portion will be properly seated and so that its ends will be rigidly held against the forward walls of the sockets. The offsets or fulcrum bearings il may be cast integral with the bucket or they may be separately formed and welded or otherwise secured in position. Under the preferred practice the bearing edges I8 of the offsets are of arcuate form to match and snugly engage mated contoured bottom edges of the aprons. This construction and arrangement is advantageous because it insures good bearing contact and leverage effective to secure the lip rigidly stationary on its seat.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. In a chain dredge bucket and lip assembly of the swinging lip type wherein the lip has inside and outside aprons lapping the rim of the bucket and the lip ends are socketed inside the bucket, means for holding said lip so as to establish a clearance between the lip and the rim of the bucket while retaining the lip ends in their sockets, said means comprising projections from the inside wall of the bucket below its rim and adjacent said sockets, said projections providing fulcrum surfaces in position to be engaged by the lower edge of said inside apron when said lip ends are engaged in said sockets, and hold-down devices cooperating with said outside apron and the body of said bucket for rocking said lip on said fulcrum surfaces to take up for Wear at and lock said lip ends rigidly in said sockets.

2. In a chain dredge bucket and lip assembly of the swinging lip type wherein the lip has inside and outside aprons lapping the rim of the bucket and the lip ends are socketed inside the bucket, means for holding said lip so as to establish a clearance between the lip and the rim of the bucket while retaining the lip ends in their sockets, said means comprising projections from the inside wall of the bucket below its rim and closely adjacent said sockets, said projections providing relatively short curved fulcrum surfaces in position to be engaged by the lower edge of said inside apron when said lip ends are engaged in said sockets, and hold-down devices cooperating with said outside apron and the body of said bucket for rocking said lip on said fulcrum surfaces to take up for wear at and lock said lip ends rigidly against the forward ends of said sockets.

3. In a chain dredge bucket and lip assembly of the swinging lip type wherein the lip has inside and outside aprons lapping the rim of the bucket and the lip ends are socketed inside the bucket, means for holding said lip so as to establish a clearance between the lip and the rim of the bucket while retaining the lip ends in their sockets, said means comprising fulcrum surfaces on the inside wall of the bucket below its rim and nearer said sockets than the center points of said rim, said fulcrum surfaces being positioned for engagement with the lower edge of said inside apron when said lip ends are engaged in said sockets, and hold-down devices cooperating with said outside apron and the body of said bucket for rocking said lip on said fulcrum surfaces to lock said lip ends rigidly in said sockets.

WILLIAM H. STIRES. 

